Pats chat rewind

Author(s):

Patriots beat writer Jeff Howe chatted with Herald readers yesterday in advance of tomorrow night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Here are some of the highlights:

Kincaid: Which player — offense, defense, special teams — has surprised you the most this season in a positive way? Which player is most disappointing?

Jeff Howe: Tough one. Without giving it much time to really think about it, I’ll go with the positive surprises as Stevan Ridley (knew he was capable, but didn’t realize it would happen to this magnitude), Rob Ninkovich and Marquice Cole. The disappointment would be Patrick Chung, who is the only player on offense or defense to lose their starting job with such a dramatic downturn in reps.

Nabs: Jeff, what would you say is the biggest concern for the Patriots going into tomorrow’s game?

Jeff Howe: The Niners defense and keeping Tom Brady upright. The offensive line has been banged up, and Sebastian Vollmer hasn’t looked like himself the past two games.

Johnny: From a sideline standpoint, what kind of influence has Aqib Talib had on the secondary?

Jeff Howe: His presence has allowed the Patriots to focus on their roles, and that’s been significantly important (that’s redundant, but I like it) to their growth in the last four games. They like Talib, too. They like his work ethic, his personality and obviously his play. He’s been a nice addition.

JhonyDee: Here’s a tough question for you. Do you consider Wes Welker as a future Half of Fame player?

Jeff Howe: If Welker retired today, no, there wouldn’t be enough on his resume. But he’s certainly on his way to building a Hall of Fame career. If he isn’t already, Welker will almost certainly go down as the best slot receiver of all-time.

Billy Boy: Which rookie do you think has been the most valuable on defense? Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower, or Alfonzo Dennard?

Jeff Howe: I could make an argument for all three, but I’ll go with Jones over Hightower because Jones has been an every-down player when healthy. Hightower and Brandon Spikes rotate out during some sub sets. And when Jones is going, teams have to double team him. Know how much that hurts when they already have to double Vince Wilfork? Dennard hasn’t played to the same level as the other two, but he’s been plenty valuable, as well. The secondary has improved now that the five starters, including Kyle Arrington in the slot, have fallen comfortably in their roles. Dennard had some struggles midway through the season, and that’s why Arrington had to replace him at right corner. Now that Arrington can focus on the slot, he’s been so much better.